About the Author
Zulfikar Ghose was born in Pakistan in 1935 and grew up in India and England. He became a famous poet, writer, and teacher who loved exploring big ideas through simple words. His family moved a lot when he was young, which made him think deeply about places, people, and why the world works the way it does. He wrote poems, stories, and even novels in English. Ghose taught at universities in the USA and lived a quiet life full of reading and writing. He passed away in 2017, but his poems still help us see the world in a fresh way, like looking at it from high up in the sky.
What’s the Poem About?
This poem is like a short flight in an airplane, where the poet looks down at the earth and shares what he sees. It is divided into three parts, each like a quick snapshot from the window. The poet uses easy words to make us think about why the world makes sense from far away, but gets messy when we zoom in close.
In the first part, the poet flies over a city. From high up, everything looks neat and planned—like straight roads, green fields, and houses all in lines. He wonders why people build cities this way: near water for farms, and close together so everyone can reach shops and schools easily. It feels logical, like a puzzle that fits perfectly.
But in the second part, as the plane goes higher, the poet sees the whole land from space. Rivers bend like snakes, mountains stand tall, and deserts spread out wide. Again, it all makes sense—water flows where it can, and people live where life is easy. No one fights over spots; nature just is.
Then comes the twist in the third part. The poet thinks about wars—why do people fight and bomb their own cities? From up high, cities look so small and peaceful, like toys on a table. He asks, "Why can't we see that fighting is silly?" The poem ends with a sad note: logic rules the land, but not the hearts of people who start fights.
The whole poem is short and clear, like a lesson in school. It makes you feel the wonder of flying high and the sadness of human mistakes. Imagine sitting by the plane window yourself—that's how close it brings you!
Who’s Who in the Poem
This is a poem, so there are no characters like in a story. Instead, it is told by one voice, like a friend sharing a view. Here are the main parts that feel like "people" or things in the poem:
- The Speaker (The Poet): A thoughtful person flying in the plane, looking out and asking big questions about the world below.
- The City: Like a busy friend down on earth—full of houses, roads, and people, but looking small and tidy from above.
- The Earth: The wise teacher in the poem—showing patterns in rivers, fields, and hills that always make sense.
- The People (Us): Not named, but we are the ones who build nice places yet sometimes ruin them with wars and anger.
Themes and Moral
Themes
- Seeing the Big Picture: From far away, the world looks perfect and planned. But up close, our choices can mess it up. The poem teaches us to look wider before acting.
- Logic of Nature vs. Human Folly: Land, water, and cities follow smart rules. But people ignore them when they fight, showing we are not always as clever as the earth.
- Wonder of Travel: Flying high opens our eyes to beauty—like green patches and blue rivers—and makes us sad about what we do wrong.
- Peace and War: The poem quietly asks why we destroy what we build, especially when seen from space, wars look so pointless.
Moral
The big lesson is: Step back and think before you fight or hurt others. The earth is full of smart designs that help us live well—rivers for water, fields for food. But our anger breaks that balance. Like the poet says, if we could all see from high up, maybe we would choose peace over war. Be kind to our shared home; it is too beautiful to spoil.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and phrases from the poem. I have explained them with simple, everyday meanings so you can picture them clearly.
- Arid: Dry and empty, like a hot desert with no rain or green plants anywhere.
- Terra firma: Solid ground or land you can stand on safely, not like shaky sand or water.
- Sediment: Mud or dirt that settles at the bottom of a river or lake after water slows down.
- Uniform: All the same and even, like rows of desks in class that line up neatly.
- Inexplicable: Hard to explain or understand, like a magic trick that leaves you scratching your head.
- Labyrinth: A twisty maze full of turns, like a confusing game where you keep hitting dead ends.
- Port: A busy spot by the sea where ships come and go, loading boxes and people.
- Ignorance: Not knowing something, like forgetting your homework because you did not pay attention.
- Waging war: Starting and fighting a battle, like two teams clashing over a ball but way more serious.
- Logic lies: The smart reasons or truths that hide in plain sight, waiting for us to notice.